
Bangladesh has secured a brilliant win in the opening match of the ODI series held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz's side defeated West Indies by 74 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
This victory came as a psychological relief for the Tigers after being whitewashed by Afghanistan in their last ODI series.
Despite having only a few days of practice, Bangladesh bounced back strongly on their home turf.
Batting first, Bangladesh were all out for 207 runs. Towhid Hridoy was the top scorer for the team with 51 runs, while debutant Mahidul Islam Ankon contributed 46.
Towards the end, Rishad Hossain provided a late flourish, hitting a stormy 26 runs off 13 balls, which helped the team's score cross the two-hundred mark.
In response, West Indies got off to a good start, but their innings collapsed due to the spin of Rishad Hossain.
Although the opening pair added 51 runs, the remaining batsmen returned to the pavilion for just 82 additional runs.
Rishad Hossain single-handedly bagged 6 wickets, marking his career-best bowling figures. This is also the best-ever bowling figure by a Bangladeshi spinner in ODIs.
He completed his first career 'fifer' in just five overs and wrapped up the innings by taking his sixth wicket in the final over.
West Indies were all out for just 133 runs in 39 overs. Apart from Rishad, Mehidy Miraz, Shoriful Islam, and Tanzim Hasan Sakib also chipped in with wickets.
Earlier in the day, Bangladesh's batting start was disappointing, with both openers Saif Hassan and Soumya Sarkar dismissed within 8 runs.
The 71-run partnership between Shanto and Hridoy temporarily steadied the team, but the Tigers could not stop the regular fall of wickets in the middle order.
However, Rishad's explosive late-innings knock gave the team a fighting total.
With this win, Bangladesh leads the series 1-0. The second match of the series will be held in the next few days, where this victory will surely boost the Tigers' confidence.




